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City Islanders' Sainey Touray putting together impressive season that he hopes leads to USL PRO title game

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Known for his unique goal-scoring celebrations, including one earlier this season that's shown here, Sainey Touray has celebrated eight finishes already. More may be on the way.
(Paul Chaplin, PennLive.com)

Sainey Touray may be enjoying his best run since signing
with the USL PRO Harrisburg City Islanders — just check out the 23-year-old
striker's sparkling numbers thus far — but he's not about to admit it.

As far as Touray is concerned, he's just one part of a
combustible attack that's capable of putting up some impressive numbers.

To the resolute Gambian native, the fact that he's posted plenty
of numbers by himself doesn't matter. The only meaningful numbers floating
through his mind are those that pile up under the W column in the standings.

Oh, there's one other thing that the 6-1, 155-pounder cares
deeply about and that's winning championships. And even though Touray is having
a terrific season — and the City Islanders are, too — he doesn't have one just yet.

And, ultimately, that's really what he's really chasing.

So, when the City Islanders (9-5-1 overall, 9-4-1 in USL
PRO) entertain the expansion Phoenix Wolves Friday night (7 p.m.) at Skyline
Sports Complex, Touray will be part of a refocused Harrisburg side that's
hoping to close out a lengthy yet hardly satisfying homestand on a positive
note.

"Even though the last few games have been sloppy, we're
working hard at correcting those things."

While the City Islanders have been concentrating all week on
their defensive approach in an effort to tighten up some things at one end,
they hope their renewed energy can generate some timely pressure and force some
errors that will allow them to crank up their lethal counterattack repeatedly.

Shown last season following a victory, Lucky Mkosana, Sainey Touray and Morgan Langley remain integral parts of the Harrisburg City Islanders' explosive attack.Patriot-News file

And that explosive counter has been a strength thus far for
Bill Becher's balanced club, which will go at opponents with the likes of
striker Lucky Mkosana, high-pitched wingers Morgan Langley, Tom Mellor and
Jimmy McLaughlin, as well as midfielders Yann Ekra, Cristhian Hernandez, Jason
Pelletier and Jamiel Hardware.

"Sainey's been very good this year," Becher said. "He's
scoring goals, he's working hard, he's setting goals up. He's doing what we
expect of him.

"He had a great 2011 and we were hoping for a big year last
year, but he just got caught up with the injuries. He had two or three injuries
and just never could really seem to get on track," Becher continued.

"This year he came in healthy and I think we're seeing what
a healthy Sainey can do."

Quite simply — whether he's tightly marked and/or drawing
extra cover — Touray is capable of disrupting defensive game plans with his lightning-quick
runs to the near post or sliding into the smallest of spaces in front of some
well-guarded net to lift off and nod home a set piece or find one of his
teammates.

Another goal-scoring celebration by Sainey Touray, but this one came during the City Islanders' march to the 2011 USL PRO championship game.Sean Simmers, PennLive.com

And, if the other guys have the ball, Touray's length and
quicks give him the ability to apply heat, strip an unsuspecting defender and
use that timely thievery to ignite a burst toward goal and generate a scoring
opportunity.

While offensive numbers typically follow — and they have —
Touray credits the system for whatever success he and his City Islanders
teammates enjoy.

"Collective achievement," said Touray, who ranks second or
third on the City Islanders' all-time list in points, goals and assists.

"Everybody's got a job to do."

Well, Touray is doing his.

He's not the only one, but ...

And while his numbers thus far put him among the USL PRO
leaders — Touray is tied for third place in points and goals, while he ranks sixth
in assists — he's already posted one of the best offensive seasons in
Harrisburg history.

* Only three players — Chad Severs (31 in 2005), Sumed
Ibrahim (23 in 2005) and Jose Angulo (21 in 2011) — have totaled more points.

* Touray is one of five players — Severs (13 in 2005 and 9 in 2009),
Sumed (10 in 2005), Angulo (9 in 2011) and Andrew Welker (8 in 2011) — to have scored
eight goals or more in a Harrisburg uniform.

* Plus, with four assists already in the bank, Touray is
just two dishes shy of the record Tiyiselani Shipalane established in 2009
while collaring USL PRO's rookie of the year award. Two seasons later, Touray
matched Shipalane's standard.

Yet whenever Touray is asked about his individual
achievements or whether he established some preseason goals, he consistently
drops the T-word.

Team. Team. Team.

Yet when defenses gang up on Touray — and since Becher often
parks the slender striker at the point of the City Islanders attack, he gathers
plenty of attention — he's aware that everyone around him immediately becomes
more dangerous.

And when those same defenses adjust to provide cover
elsewhere when a Langley or a Mellor or a Mkosana or someone else suddenly
starts running amok, plenty of space suddenly materializes for the seemingly
omnipresent Touray.

Sainey Touray, shown here, already has put together one of the top offensive seasons in City Islanders history. However, he prefers to talk about collective goals and winning championships.Patriot-News file

Once that happens ...

"The good thing is we've got a lot of different weapons, so
he's one of several guys who is capable of scoring goals," Becher said. "He's
obviously our leader right now in points and he presents a danger because he
can score in so many different ways.

"He's good in the air. He gets behind defenders. He gets on
the end of crosses. ... He's got eight goals and I think he can still score more.
He's created some chances that unfortunately he didn't stick in. The thing is,
he continues to work and get chances.

"He's a guy who is going to create chances in a game,"
Becher continued. "Every game you know he's going to get opportunities."

Since the City Islanders just passed the halfway point of
their USL PRO schedule — and barring a disastrous circumstance that puts him in
neutral for a lengthy stretch — more opportunities are likely to come Touray's
way.

Same for his teammates.

And if Becher's bunch can tighten up a leaky defense while
cashing in at the rate they finished during their first 14 league outings —
Harrisburg averaged nearly 2.3 goals per game during that stretch — more
victories undoubtedly will follow.

That could put the City Islanders in mighty good position
for a lengthy postseason run, something the determined Touray isn't shy about
discussing.

Said something remarkably similar during training camp.

"If we finish in one of those top two spots, I think we can
win the championship," said Touray, who vividly recalls the City Islanders'
heartbreaking loss to Orlando in the penalty-kick shootout that decided the
2011 USL PRO title game.

"These guys are young, but everyone on this team is hungry."

If offensive production symbolizes hunger — 12 Harrisburg
players have netted finishes and five others have at least one assist — a
significant number of Becher's City Islanders are jostling for a favorable spot
in the lunch line.